PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Salvador Sarmiento, sgsarmiento@ndlon.org

As Bristol Sheriff Grand Stands, Law Enforcement State-wide Put on Notice About Potential Liability of Submitting to ICE Requests

Immigrants groups confront Bristol Sheriff about anti-immigrant policies, warn of recent court rulings against detainers prompted by S-Comm

Boston, MA, July 25, 2014 — On Thursday, immigrant and civil rights groups confronted Bristol Sheriff Hodgson as he finished delivering remarks to the press following a closed-door meeting with MA representatives about the child refugee crisis. The Sheriff, an advocate for the failed Se Communities deportation quota program, has now set his sights on clashing with the governor over of child refugees in detention at the border.

After a tense exchange with Hodgson, the Sheriff accepted calls from immigrants to meet and committed to meeting as soon as possible. “The Sheriffs own statements about immigrants are the strongest argument for the need for the TRUST Act that prevents discrimination and restores the confidence in law enforcement that federal deportation programs have shredded to pieces in Massachusetts,” said Salvador Sarmiento of the National Day Laborer Organzing Network.

In the meeting, the groups seek to discuss a letter sent to every County Sheriff last week warning them to end submission to immigration detainer requests or potentially be held liable in the wake of federal court decisions finding that the submission to ICE holds is in violation of the 4th Amendment. See the letter here.

Patricia Montes, Executive Director of Centro Presente, “ICE has made it routine to detain individuals based on suspicion, instead of probable cause like the U.S. Constitution demands. When law enforcement gets tangled up in that kind of abuse, public trust in law enforcement suffers and our neighborhood safety disappears. That’s why sheriffs across the country are making the right decision by rejecting ICE holds. We hope our elected officials in Massachusetts correct their policies as soon as possible to stop the damage S-Comm has caused.”

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